Wicked – It's Where She…
by lnori
Summary: He had no right to show pain, after all, when he was the one inflicting most of it. But almost ten years later, in a strange turn of events, life made a fool out of him, bringing them together under the least expected circumstances. Was this what they called fate? (Lux& Talon) AU
1. Chapter 1

Hi guys! o/ I'm back this time with a short story, it has 2/3 chapters, and, well, this time I have no idea what it's focusing on. The story I mean. I just kind of let myself go in whatever direction writing was taking me, so I don't know yet what to expect of this story xD

So do share your thoughts.

As you probably know, I'm a huge sucked for Lux & Talon sooo yeah.

Anyway, the song used is **Wicked by Boy Epic**. I was obsessed with it for a while and realised it's fit the best with this general idea of the story.

I hope you're gonna enjoy it. If not, thank you for your time in having a look at it regardless!

* * *

 _Summary: _He'd been living life as a broken man for the last decade, but never showing the many spots in which his heart broke and started to bleed. He had no right to show pain, after all, when he was the one inflicting most of it. But almost ten years later, in a strange turn of events, life made a fool out of him, bringing them together under the least expected circumstances. Was this what they called fate?

 _Characters:_ Luxanna Crownguard, Talon du Couteau, small appearances made by Katarina, Garen, Cassiopeia, Darius and some more.

 _Genre:_ Romance, drama.

 _Rated:_ M, mostly for mature content.

* * *

 _ **Wicked – It's Where She…**_

* * *

 _I fell in love_

 _Yes, I fell in love_

 _But it wasn't good enough_

 _For us_

* * *

Darkness.

He had always thought that darkness was soothing, he always felt at ease whenever the eerie nothingness surrounded him, enhancing some of his senses while dulling some other. It's been a while since he felt such comfort in the dark. As though reality was shut out from his horizon, and nothing that happened in the outside world could ever possibly harm him.

He felt safe.

Some other times, darkness was suffocating. He felt as though he were floating, being in an endless free fall, his body breaking into pieces with each second the distance between him and the ground was shrinking. The fall never came though. He always remained in that desperate state of free falling.

Until he landed in the arms of _her_.

It was a first, really. Something, or someone finally heard his cries and reached out her arms for him to hold onto.

Gentle caresses burned his skin, wherever her soft fingers touched him, and he wanted to break free. But his wrists and ankles were tied in sweet silk, rendering him unable to move.

Soft fingers cupped his face, long nails barely grazing his skin, and his heart beat twice as fast. Something inside of him responded to the touch, but he was devoid of any light, as his sight was taken from him by the same gentle silky material.

His mouth agape, muscles convulsed the lower the touches went, the deeper the nails scratched. Crossing his neck and Adam's apple, digging onto his flesh, he wanted to fight the feeling, but it was so good, it felt so right, even though he was most certainly facing death. But dying such a slow, tantalizing death, at those gentle caresses did not sound so bad after all.

Nails grazed at his chest, muscles tightening at the phantom touches, and he inhaled sharply, when the fingers stopped for a mere second right above his heart. It was beating, and it was beating crazily – he could swear the drumming noise would echo through the thickest blanket of darkness altogether.

 _Or maybe this was the end._

He thought, especially since he could feel a soft pressure on his lower abdomen. A gentle movement, and he felt the soft caress of another's skin, as she lowered her weight onto his, sitting on his lower abdomen, placing each thigh to his side.

The nails still grazed the flesh atop of his heart, but this time around they rested over of his scar, which was placed right where his heart was singing its own song. Heat radiated from his body, and he could not explain the waves himself. It was as though something was pulling him towards her, although he had no idea what was going on.

"I hope you can find me soon," her voice echoed in the darkness, filling up his ribcage, a sweet, melodic voice, as he felt movement atop of him, and then her hair tickled his already sensitive skin, up until she placed her head on top of his heart, listening to the frantic rhythm.

"What is this?!" He found the necessary strength in him to growl at the intruder.

But was she really intruding?

The touches felt so natural, and he was so welcoming, so responsive to her. There was a kind of need that was flowing through him, a unique sort of tension building up inside, just like a bubble ready to burst anytime soon.

"Come and look for me," the voice echoed again, carrying a specific tone of sadness within that was barely noticeable.

"Release me." He demanded, forcing the bindings. They didn't budge.

"Please," she cooed, lifting her head off his chest and nuzzling her nose against his neck.

The familiarity of her actions seemed a tad bit creepy.

"Release me." He repeated, trying not to give in to her scent.

Lilac filled his nostrils and he almost drowned in the scent of her. He wanted to break free and grab a fistful of her hair and –

The silk wrapped itself around her, covering both of them, cooling his heated skin in the process. The softness of the body sprawled next to him almost made him lose his mind.

" _Talon,"_

He groaned.

What the hell was going on?

* * *

 _Give me a damn cigarette_ _  
_ _Swallowing my regrets_ _  
_ _I need that therapy, that melody_ _  
_ _I'm drowning in my sympathy_ _  
_ _Doctor can you un-break me_

* * *

He awoke with a start.

Beads of sweat rolling down his face and neck, he was drenched in it. Looking around, he noticed that he was in his own room, the same dark and cosy place he had spent most of his time, with tiny strands of light breaking through the drawn curtains.

He ran a hand through dark locks, which were by then stuck to his nape and neck as he thought back on that creepy dream he had. A man of his age to dream of such things?! What the hell had gotten into him?

Groaning in frustration and the leftover damages that had remained from his dream, he kicked himself out of bed, trying to focus, so as to prevent the blood from rushing south. He had no idea what the dream meant.

" _Maybe it's because it's been too long since I took care of certain_ needs _,"_ he noted to self as he rolled his eyes, which were coloured in a rich shade of chocolate.

Heading towards the bathroom to take a quick shower, he took off his tank top, tossed it on the top of a lump of dark clothes then did the same with his sweatpants, remaining only in underwear while stepping into the bathroom, to turn on the water.

Pushing back his sticky hair, while waiting for the water to reach the right temperature, he stole a glance at himself in the mirror. Tall, with dark, olive skin, black hair that usually rested on his shoulders and chocolate eyes, with a lithe body not missing the necessary muscles, Talon du Couteau was as handsome as they could come.

Being the future successor of the du Couteau business and still in his late twenties or early thirties, many women tried throwing themselves at his feet, to gain leverage one way or another, but Talon simply walked over them. He never shared any romantic interest with anyone, an act which started many rumours to circulate about him – some going as far as to even say he was gay – but none of that affected him in particular.

What did affect him, on the other hand, at least currently, was the fact that he was so hot and bothered for no reason at all. His man-pride would never allow him to admit that he just had a wet dream where he was tied up. And the worst part? He enjoyed it all.

Taking one last glance at the scar that loomed over his heart, a dark bruise shaped like a distorted heart, with its bottom circling downwards, he let out a heavy sigh then stepped out of his underwear, just so he could step into the shower and finally start off his day.

Half an hour later, Talon went down the stairs and headed into the kitchen. The du Couteau household was a spacious place, although inhabited by few people.

Wearing a simple black shirt, dark jeans and having his hair tied in a loose ponytail, Talon made his way to the kitchen, where someone was busying herself.

He smirked as he leaned against the threshold, lighting himself a cigarette, watching the blonde woman preparing another piece of her meals, which would be able to feed at least twenty people. Note the fact that only three were residing in the house – 4, if you were to count the cat.

Upon sensing the smell of his cigarette the woman turned around and looked at him with a venomous glare, and Talon swore she could turn him to stone anytime, if she wanted to do so.

"Do we seriously need to have the same conversation every morning?" She spat in his general direction.

Talon forced back a chuckle, as he walked in the kitchen, keeping the cigarette in his mouth while pouring himself some coffee. "Looks like that." He then tested the waters with his older step-sister.

He had 2 sisters: Cassiopeia, the oldest of the two, whose looks were desired by most women in Valoran, and who was currently threatening him that she was going to kill him with a knife, and Katarina, the youngest of all siblings, who, well, was currently absent.

"I have no idea where have your manners gone." She puffed in annoyance, emerald eyes hiding a glint of venom in them as she stomped up to Talon and snatched the cigarette out of his mouth, only to put it out in the sink. "I am cooking, for heaven's sake!"

"You're _always_ cooking," Talon retorted with a roll of his eyes. He knew how to push her buttons.

"Well, someone has to!" Cassie threw up her arms in indignation and frustration, unable to put up with his antics any longer.

She had enough to stress about anyway. Talon was the last thing she needed to worry about.

"Okay, fine, I'm sorry. I'll take my coffee and leave." He then added with a cheeky smile.

Cassie simply rolled her eyes. "Obviously. Not like you'd even think of giving me a hand."

He winked at her as he hurried away, before messing with her too much.

"Oh, by the way, I'm heading to Demacia later on in the afternoon." She called out behind the man.

Talon turned around with a curious face. So that's why she was making so much food.

"How so?" Talon then asked, with another cigarette in his hand.

"Kat called. She needs some help with her wedding dress."

Yeah, remember the absent youngest sister? Well, she was getting married that incoming weekend.

* * *

 _She's got that devil's touch_

 _That apocalyptic lust_

 _I swear I'm not a sinner_

 _I'm just beautifully broken_

* * *

He couldn't believe his eyes.

It was as though he was in a trance, although he could still grasp reality pretty well. And yet, it felt as though he had suddenly plunged back in time.

He was looking at her, but at the same time, it felt as though he wasn't. The woman sitting in front of him shared _her_ face, her features, but everything else was different. She had wavy hair, resting lazily on her shoulders, the colour being dark purple to black and purple eyes, while wearing a purple nightgown of silk. It emphasized all the curves he missed, creating a high contrast between the milky white skin and her general dark appearance.

And yet, there she was, glassy eyes staring back at him.

She was as much of a stranger as she was the half of him he missed so much it was killing him softly.

Talon let out a strangled laugh. "It looks like I'm starting to miss you this badly, that I end up dreaming of you again."

The woman in front of him replied with a sad smile. "So you realised it was me," she then spoke, the same melodic voice that made his skin crawl and eyes bleed with tears.

His heart clenched and the scar started to hurt. Seeing her again, albeit in his dream hurt too much.

"Maybe it's because of the wedding," he heaved out a sigh, closing his eyes and letting his body fall backwards.

He fell on something soft, an armchair with lots of cushions appearing behind him, easing the fall.

Talon needed strength and courage to open his eyes and look at her again, especially since he had to hold back a stream of memories from rushing down in the back of his head. Thinking about her hurt. It tore him to pieces.

He was a coward, he wanted to wake up. He couldn't stand looking at her, not after what he did to her, all those years ago.

And yet, when the familiarity of her heat wrapped his own self around her as she sat on his lap, making herself comfortable, his body reacted on its own, his hands almost immediately resting on her hips, as he took in the scent of lilac. He missed her, he missed her so much.

But he had no right to do so, not after what he did to her.

Gentle hands cupped his face, as her nails grazed his jawbones, forcing him to her level. He didn't dare open his eyes, although feeling her that close was starting to make him lose his mind.

It felt like time rewound itself, and she was back in his arms, and they were both happy. Or well, as happy as people, broken beyond repair, like them could ever get.

Her other hand laced through his hair, until she got a hold of it, pulling at it gently, while she leaned in to place a chaste kiss on the side of his neck. He bit the bottom of his lip, holding back a groan.

"I miss you," she whispered against his skin, and heat rushed through his body.

Even though it was a dream, she was making him go insane.

"Your lies have the same sweetness like they always had. I guess some things never change," he whispered as he wrapped his arms around the small of her body, pulling her closer into his arms.

She chuckled, and his heart skipped a beat.

"It's a dream, so why does it matter?" She asked with a sweet, poisonous voice, as she pulled herself back just enough to make room for her hand between their bodies.

Sneaking her hand under his pants, she found what she was looking for and he gasped when she taunted him.

What a bittersweet feeling this was. He was losing himself to his feelings and memories of her.

He had buried her memory so deep that for a moment, he almost thought that he was over her. But then, with the recent ongoing events, she was bound to resurface. Because she was never going to be truly gone.

He managed to avoid reality for a few years, but it appeared that his luck was about to end.

"When are you going to stop tormenting me?" He then asked, his voice a mere whisper.

" _What do you mean you're leaving?!" Her voice echoed in the back of his head, broken and tormented and on the verge of crying. But he did not stop, nor did he turn around to look at her broken image._

She stopped what she was doing, only to lift her pretty face from the crook of his neck and to look at him. Talon held her gaze, he was too weak to look away.

With a sweet smile, she answered him. "When I pay you back twice the pain you caused me,"

" _Just that, I'm leaving. I should've never run away with you in the first place." His voice was cold, icy._

He laughed, his voice dry, flat. He had it coming, after all.

" _I-I thought… I left everything behind, for you. You promised you'd stay, Talon." Her cries were scratching his ears, and he couldn't wait to be gone already, for good._

"Why did you break my heart?" She then asked with her trademark pout, his heart ached, creaks appearing on it.

" _I don't know what I was thinking, okay? I never expected us to run away, I never thought your family would kick you out for this, but this… This isn't something that I want. I want something stable, something safe. And you're fire. You're danger. I can't have a future with you, after all."_

"I don't know." He shrugged, smiling. But his expression was giving away the pain he was feeling through his drawn brows and tearful eyes. It hurt, hurt so much. "I was afraid."

She chuckled, again. How innocent that gesture looked, but in that context, she was wicked. She'd come to completely tear him to pieces.

" _Talon, please! But we –_ I _can make it work! I can work two jobs, and in time, we will be able to save up a bit more. We'll buy a house, and start a business, just like you wanted to! Just please, don't leave! Talon! Please! –_

– _I love you!"_

"You left me all alone, after you promised me the world. I was left in the dark, with no one to rely on, while you returned to your family. You had a home to return to, while you stole mine from me. And for what?" She shook her head.

Talon knew what was coming. This was his subconscious talking, after all.

"For _who_?" She shook her head in disdain, that sweet smile never leaving her face. "For your sister's own happiness."

The cracks shattered around his heart, and the pain overflew him like a river. Everything he had kept inside, bottled up was free at last.

Tears streamed down his face, and, at last, his eyes really opened, just to find him in his room, crying.

It was going to be a hell of a wedding.

* * *

 _Now there's a darkness deep in me_

 _I keep falling asleep_

 _To these wicked dreams_

* * *

The house was empty, the silence within it almost deafening. He was standing tall, leaning against a kitchen cabinet, while smoking his cigarette. Cassiopeia wasn't there to pester him about his indoor smoking habits. She had gone to Demacia a couple of days prior, to help Katarina prepare for the wedding, while their father was away, who knows where. So Talon was left alone.

It was always the worst when he was left to himself, like a child who couldn't go unsupervised.

The memories would always wash ashore, and he would drown in his past, guilt eating at him like alcohol eating at one's liver. It's been so many years, and although he learned how to put on a façade when others were around, whenever he was left alone, he'd always be so miserable.

Save for the tomcat they owned. Chocolate eyes looked at the tiny ball of white fur, as he drank milk from his bowl, glancing up every now and then to check if Talon was still around.

" _One day, I wish we could get a cat."_ Her voice echoed in the back of his head, and he trembled.

Anything and everything would bring forth glimpses of her, of actions, of conversations, of dreams and wishes that all would end up crumbling at his feet.

He still remembered her face, when she was waking up, her voice when she called out his name, and the softest of her touch when she would snuggle up next to him, after coming home from work.

He had misjudged her at first, he thought she was another spoiled princess when he ran into her back at the Institute, and learning of her background. And yet, after eloping in secret, it was her who gave up her studies and decided to take on multiple jobs, so that they could have an income and he could continue studying, just to not disappoint his step-father.

" _Talon,"_ her voice echoed in his head as he closed his eyes, and his chest hurt.

It hurt so much he was on the verge of crying.

But he had done the right thing, breaking things off for her.

He had no right to mess up her life, had no right to take advantage of the kindness the du Couteau family showed him when they adopted him. So he had to choose. Hurt _her_ or the ones who have given him shelter and a home.

He chose to hurt her. She had been just a momentary fling, anyway. They didn't belong together, after all. And she was insignificant too, in his life. It's not like she had been the love of his life. And he wasn't hers either.

So choosing to abandon her over his family was the right decision to make.

Wasn't it?

Glancing at the clock, Talon heaved a sigh and put out his cigarette. "Come, Shiro, let's fill up your bowl by the time the cat-sitter comes." He said to the cat, that seemed to make a face, but allowed Talon to pick him up anyways.

He had to start getting ready and drive to Demacia for the wedding.

There was just one faithful question that kept repeating in his head, and his heart raced at the mere thought of it: _Would she show up as well?_

* * *

 _You can call me fantastic Mr. Black_

 _So cool, now there's nothing left_

 _But an empty soul_

 _Everything is so bitter cold_

* * *

This wedding promised to be the main event of the summer, since two children of the two oldest and well known families from the whole continent were getting married. The du Couteau household ruled over Noxus, while the Crownguard lineage from Demacia dated back to centuries ago. The two noblest families, once great rivals, were fusing together.

It was an event the whole continent was speculating about. And not to mention that the wedding was held at the Crownguard manor, in a garden that was specially grown for this event.

Love was a curious little thing. Although Talon lost most of his feelings and humanity when he abandoned her, he allowed the love between Katarina and her future husband, Garen, to bloom.

They met a little after Talon met _her_ and although he was keeping the relationship a secret, Katarina went public with it from the beginning. Hers was no easy love to defend, due to the many scrutinizing comments made from both sides and more, but true love always prevails.

Talon couldn't say the same.

He had no right to hurt the name of the family and drag it in the mud, for his own selfish reasons. Katarina's happiness was more important than his own, so he chose to abandon the one person who he would've ever called _his_. But maybe she never was his to own, since he let go of her so easily.

He wasn't strong enough, unlike his sister and future brother-in-law. They defied everything and ended up creating history with their marriage.

Talon would've simply ruined even more lives. What's one broken heart – his – compared to dozens?

Arriving at the Crownguard mansion, he stepped out of his car and handed the keys to the valet, while casually making his way to the entrance. His hair tied in a ponytail at the back of his head and wearing a black suit, his appearance was dashing to most. Every single woman fawned over him as he walked by, but he barely regarded them.

His heart was nearly breaking his ribcage, as he could barely remain steady. Just the thought of running into her, and wondering how she looks like after almost ten years made him a deadly curious mouse, heading straight into a trap. Talon wondered how he'd react once he spotted her. Would he lose his head? Or would they act like they were total strangers? Was she even invited to the wedding?

She did get kicked out of the family almost a decade ago, and all because of him.

Talon eventually managed to spot Katarina, given the fiery hair and the white dress, and for a second, he was taken aback. She looked like a princess, with the white wedding dress on. He quickly made his way towards her, and he also spotted her husband, Garen.

"Look who's an awkward penguin," he joked once he got close enough to them.

Both Garen and Katarina turned to face him, and although Garen laughed at his comment, Katarina's green eyes nearly murdered him on the spot.

"I'm stressed enough about this whole thing. I don't need your smartass retorts."

Talon chuckled and proceeded to shake hands with Garen then hugging his sister.

"Have you seen Cassie?" He then asked, noticing that their lavish sister was nowhere to be found.

"I think she's making friends. Father's running late also. I swear, people in this family." Katarina was exasperated at this point.

She just wanted everything to go smoothly. Luckily for her, she had Garen to calm her down.

There was still some time left for the ceremony to begin, so people were still arriving, and making small talk after congratulating the couple.

There had been a shift in the conversations however, as people quickly started whispering.

Turning around, Katarina's eyes widened. "Oh look, there's Cassie. She's coming this way." Talon was about to turn around when Katarina's next words made him freeze mid-action. "And she's with Garen's sister."

The people around them were murmuring also. Talon now realised who they were whispering about. The outcast Crownguard, the one who dishonoured her parents and ran off somewhere. Some were wondering what was she doing there, some others curious as to how did the groom's parents accept to have her invited.

But for Talon, the most he wanted to do, was run away. He didn't have the strength to face her. He didn't want to look at her or else he may crumble to pieces. He wasn't that strong, to see her face.

"Hello," Cassie greeted them, clinging glasses with the groom and the bride, looking gorgeous in her dark dress and curls.

"We were wondering where you disappeared," Katarina said with annoyance.

Cassie simply laughed. "Well, I was minding my own business, when I saw this lovely lady and I couldn't take my eyes off of her."

"Yeah, she's my sister. Talon," Garen turned to him with an honest smile on his face. "I believe you two never met each other. This is my younger sister, Luxanna."

Talon looked around, with a fake smile on his face. But even that was wiped off his face when his chocolate eyes met her baby blue ones.

A cascade of memories and feelings washed over him when he saw her face again. Porcelain skin adorned her heart shaped face, and baby blue eyes seemed to stare back into his soul. Her small nose, pump lips remained the same, although she looked different, more mature. There was something about her that swept him right off his feet.

Her hair was shorter now compared to before, now it was a simple bob, barely reaching her shoulders, and whereas he remembered her having golden hair, it was now platinum white. She was wearing a long, royal blue dress, with a deep V-cut, and another cut showing off her legs as she moved. Her silver heels matched her earrings and bracelet, while her neck was empty of accessories.

She was stunning.

His memories of her did her no justice.

"And this is my older brother, Talon," Katarina interrupted his trail of thought, effectively snapping him back to reality. Talon feared that he may have been staring too much.

"Nice to meet you," she spoke, the same melodic voice he remembered, but this time around, she sounded more confident, sure of herself, as though she had no fears left.

"Likewise," Talon said and they both lifted their own glasses in the other's general direction.

He then semi-turned around to empty the contents of his glass while Lux sneaked a few glances at him.

Nobody noticed their behaviour. Well, almost nobody.

The ceremony itself went on perfectly, and although Talon sat next to Cassiopeia, he couldn't help but fidget, and try to steal glances at Lux. He couldn't believe his eyes. She's changed so much in the years they were separated, she emanated a different aura – gone was the heartbroken girl crying after him not to leave her.

A lump formed in his throat.

Should he talk to her? Or should he just pretend that they never knew each other? Talon wanted to go with the second option, although he had his own doubts. What was he even supposed to say? Did he even have a right to say anything?

He had no idea but what he knew for certain was that his heart had completely shattered when seeing her. Sadly, he was pretty sure she didn't feel the same. His presence had no effect on her. And in retrospect, why would it even? He was the one who walked away.

He was the one who abandoned her.

Attending the wedding had been a mistake.

"You know, you're being way too obvious." Cassiopeia's voice brought him back to reality.

"What?" Talon mouthed, flabbergasted.

She rolled her emerald eyes then looked at him with a dead stare. "I know it's _her_."

Talon looked away, fidgeting with his glass of whiskey instead. He never openly mentioned her to anyone, although Cassiopeia had a knack of getting under someone's skin. And a few years back, when loneliness hit him, she didn't want to let him drink alone, so she joined him. Talon only said that he missed _her_. How Cassiopeia ended up figuring out the rest, it was beyond him.

"I guess you two breaking up had to do with Katarina and Garen getting together." She sighed into her drink. And oh how right she had been. "I don't know the details but I saw the way she looks at you."

Talon laughed with amusement. "With what eyes? The eyes of someone who wants to murder you on the spot but needs to act civilised because people are watching?"

She rolled her eyes again. "No, you idiot. She's hurting." Cassiopeia was, indeed, good at reading people, but Talon doubt her words. At most, Lux was in pain because she had ended up attending the same event as Talon and she couldn't stand the sight of him.

Truth be told, Talon couldn't stand the sight of himself either.

"Maybe you two should talk things out. It's been a while after all." The blonde looked at her brother from the corner of her eye. "Just saying."

But before Talon could reply, Katarina showed up at their table, demanding Talon to take her dance.

"Father still hasn't shown up and the only people who took me dancing were Garen, his father and some random Noxian army guy. I want some attention from my family too!" She pouted and Talon just couldn't refuse her.

Cassiopeia always told him that he spoiled Katarina way too much. But then again, she suffered the most when their mother died, and ever since, Talon had been her backbone. So how could he step in the way of her happiness?

"Of course," he replied, somewhat glad that he could get away from Cassiopeia.

If she continued pestering him some more, he'd probably end up telling her everything about him and Lux. And that was one of the biggest secrets he'd kept hidden his entire life.

They started dancing, and Talon couldn't help but be happy for her. Katarina was finally going to have her own family, and she could be happy. She had he own share of misfortune during her life, so his suffering was worth just to see her happy. Maybe.

"What's wrong?" Katarina asked him with worry.

Talon snapped back to reality and he twirled her slowly, sticking to the rhythm. "What do you mean?" He feigned ignorance.

But Katarina wasn't going to buy any of that. "You've been edgy all week but today you're even worse. Did something happen? You seem really out of it. I know you don't enjoy these sorts of events, but I appreciate the fact that you came."

"Nothing's wrong. I'm just a bit tired from work. But don't worry about me. This day is all about you." He tried to brush off her worries with a trademark smile, but Katarina knew better.

"Is it about someone being here? That's the reason you're so uptight?" These damned du Couteau sisters would be the end of him.

Talon looked at the table where he was previously, just to watch Cassiopeia smirking from ear to ear. So she guessed what they were discussing also.

"Of course not silly, why would I feel bothered about some–" His sentence hung in the air as he watched Garen and Lux dance close to them.

Garen also noticed them, and they decided to walk over.

 _Great._

"May I steal back my wife? Promise to leave you in good hands." Garen spoke while grinning, and nodding towards his sister.

Talon wanted to say no. He wanted to refuse instantly and run away but it would not look nice. So he just chuckled as a response. Looking at Lux, she had a plastic smile printed on her face also.

Supposedly, Talon wasn't the only one not enjoying the current turn of events.

So Garen and Katarina left, but Talon could still notice from the corner of his eye how his sister kept looking back at them with worried eyes.

Heaving a sigh, Talon looked at her. She was mesmerising, and although she wore heels, the top of her head could still barely reach his chin. He failed to notice this earlier, when they were 'introduced'.

"You don't have to dance with me. I know it's awkward enough as it is." He said, lowering his voice and purposely avoiding her gaze.

He heard her snort. "I suppose you can't even spare a dance with me. My brother would be disappointed with you, but sure, let's do this your way." Lux spoke with acid then moved past him. "Not like there has ever been any other way with you."

Talon had no idea what came over him. In the heat of the moment, he grabbed Lux by her forearm and pulled her back, twisting her around and locking her against him, as his arm rested around her waist.

"Let's not disappoint your brother, then. For the sake of appearances." He whispered against her hair and Lux needed a second to regain her composure, and in the end allowed him to lead them through the dancefloor.

They were so close to one another, and yet, they both looked sideways. Perhaps it would be better this way, since Talon figured that she couldn't stand the sight of him anyways.

Despite all of that, he couldn't help but notice how well she fit in his arms, and how much she's changed over the years. Although she always loved long hair, now she had it almost the same length as his, and although she looked skinnier, her body curved in all the good ways with the passing of time.

Lilac made Talon fall into a drunken state, and he could feel it everywhere on her, in her hair, in her clothes, even in the pores of her skin.

"You've gotten manlier over the years," Lux's random statement caught him off guard, freezing only for a second, then Talon continued dancing.

Lux looked up while he looked down and he was this close to falling apart. All he wanted to do was wind back time to when she was his. Forget about the mistakes in the past, he'd never leave her side, he'd never put her – and himself also – through such suffering and misery.

"You look even more beautiful than I remember," he confessed.

Lux laughed it off. "Do you even _remember_?" She asked with a mocking tone.

Blood froze in his veins. Of course she'd be merciless with him. Talon realised then that maybe Lux's wounds ran deeper than his own. Who knows how she must be feeling, having to see him again under such circumstances. Talon himself was falling apart. And he was the one who hurt her in the first place.

"I do. Everything." His honesty caught even Talon off guard.

Lux looked up at him with shock in her pretty baby blue eyes. The colour in them wasn't as strong as it used to be; now they looked a bit faded. Regardless, they remained very beautiful.

"I remember everything about you; the way you looked when you woke up in the morning, the way you called my name, the way you tugged at my shirts when you wanted to be comforted, the way your brows creased when you were frustrated, the noises you made when you were coming undone, the way you shouted at me whenever we fought, the way you cried my name when I left, how bitter your tears tasted on my cheeks. I remember everything about you. It's so vivid sometimes I feel like you may come alive."

Visibly shocked, Lux tried to pull away from him, but Talon's grip was strong. His hold tightened around the thin of her waist and he lowered his head to whisper her name: " _Lux,"_

She shivered at the sound of it. Compared to the young adult she had in her memories, this grownup version of Talon, with his deep, husky voice, strong arms and tall body, it was overwhelming for her. She wanted to escape. And fast.

Tears were threatening to fall otherwise.

Yet, Lux kept her cool. She got very good at pretending and hiding her real feelings over the years.

"Well, you can keep the memory as vivid as you want then. You achieved your goal after all." She felt his hold on her loosen. "You sacrificed me for your sister's happiness."

And with that, Talon let her go and Lux took it her cue to leave, while she had the chance.

Coming to the wedding had been a mistake, after all. She wasn't ready to face _him_ yet, and maybe she would never be truly ready for it.

* * *

 _I need a doctor please_

 _No, I can't sleep_

 _She's the monster but she's my queen_

 _Broken halo on a comatose me_


	2. Chapter 2

_I need a doctor please_

 _No, I can't sleep_

 _She's the monster but she's my queen_

 _Broken halo on a comatose me_

* * *

A heavy sigh left her lips as she traced the edge of the glass with her finger, in an absent-minded motion, seeming out of place in the sea of people. Sitting on a leather chair, with her silver dress sprawled around her, glassy blue eyes staring at the nothingness in front of her. She wore the dress like a goddess, as it was hugging her body like a temple, her platinum locks curled at its edges, ending just above her small shoulders. Smokey eyes took in everything and nothing at the same time, she was a divine goddess waiting for the nothingness to end, for the abyss to consume her.

Lux caught the eye of many passers-by, but no man had the courage to strike up a conversation with her, as she seemed so otherworldly.

Months have passed since their encounter, and for the most part, he couldn't leave her mind. She'd tried so hard in the past couple of years to avoid him, the press, articles, news, anything – and mostly, she succeeded. She heard stories about his achievements, gossip circulating around, but she didn't let it get to her, or at least she tried.

There was always there, that fear, that at one point she will learn that he'd found someone, that he was happy and that he'd let go of her; it was always there, creeping in the back of her mind like a disease. And yet, when she saw him again, part of her was happier than she'd admit, as she had the chance to look at the man he'd become in her absence.

Lux couldn't say that she wasn't affected by his sudden appearance, but she also knew that he wouldn't impact her life so much anyways. He was to her what she was to him also: a dark spot in a past that'd better remain buried.

And yet, theirs was a past that wouldn't let go of either of them. Since, for whatever reasons they kept running into one another.

 _It was early in the morning and Lux didn't feel like living at all. And yet, she had forgotten to buy the essentials upon arriving to Noxus the previous day. She had gotten herself a small apartment, but with all the running around she had to do for the past couple of days and staying in the apartment only for sleeping and feeding the cat, she's completely forgotten about the fact that she needed food also._

 _So, an early Sunday morning found her dragging her feet in a store, while her mind tried to make a list of all the things she'd need. Food being at the top of the list._

 _She hadn't gone all out to dress up either, as she wore a simple pair of sweatpants, sneakers, and oversized sweater and a beanie to keep the mess of her hair put. It was early October, so the weather wasn't that forgiving._

 _Dragging the basket after her, Lux walked absentmindedly through the aisles, putting whatever items in the basket. But she mostly needed coffee, milk and cereals. She wasn't a big fan of cooking after all._

 _Looking at her poor choice of food, Lux nodded, figuring that the last thing she needed was milk. Then she could go back to her apartment and play around with Kurona._

 _The blonde wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings, given the fact that the store was rather empty at that ungodly hour of a Sunday morning, so as she headed towards the section with the dairy products, she failed to notice that there was someone looking for milk also. The thing was, that other person wasn't very awake either, and somehow it happened, that in a nearly empty store, two people collided._

 _Lux yelped in surprise as she bounced backwards from the impact, and she closed her eyes as a result, not daring to count the seconds before she collided with the ground. But the collision never took place, as she felt a strong hand wrap around her forearm and keeping her steady._

 _Even her basket was safe._

" _Thank–" she began saying after coming back to herself, but the moment her eyes laid on his dark form, she couldn't form any coherent thoughts any longer._

 _Of all people, she had to literally bump into_ him _. His face was swimming in the same amount of shock and surprise just as Lux's, yet she couldn't take her eyes off of him. Surprisingly enough, he was wearing similar clothes to her. Sweatpants, sneakers, oversized sweater and a beanie covering his long locks of black hair. The only difference was, where she wore white and grey, he was clad in full black._

" _Talon." She said his name, a barely audible whisper, but her voice was dry, so Lux hoped that in truth she only thought about him._

 _Lux was soon proven wrong, however, as he suddenly blinked back to the present, looking at her in disbelief. Then he noticed that he was still holding her arm, and he quickly – and awkwardly – let her go._

" _Didn't expect to run into you here, of all places," Talon said awkwardly, shifting his weight from one leg to the other._

 _Lux let out a forced laugh also. Ignoring the fact that she had to run into someone when she looked like a zombie, she had to run into Talon, of all people!_

" _Yeah, I have some business in the city for a while." She then replied sheepishly, pulling the beanie as low as possible on her head. "Small world, huh?"_

 _At that, Talon let out a strained chuckle. Lux looked up at him in surprise._

" _Living in the lucky side of the city, you'll see that everyone knows everyone," he had a weird tone to his voice, Lux noticed._

 _Indeed, life within the neighbourhood known as the Immortal Bastion was very different compared to life everywhere else. And then it made sense, Lux remembered that Talon was actually born in the slums, and taken in by Marcus du Couteau only afterwards._

" _Anyways, what are you even doing here, at this hour?" His question brought her back from her thoughts._

" _Shopping," she replied sheepishly, lifting the basket for him to see._

 _Talon lifted an eyebrow questioningly. Lux rolled her eyes at that. "Fine, I forgot to buy stuff earlier when I arrived to Noxus, and realised I got only cat food this morning, when I woke up." She said with a puff and Talon couldn't help but smile._

 _He missed her._

 _And this would be a moment he'd forever cherish, given the fact that they were both being themselves, thanks to the ungodly hours, and they were having an actual conversation. He'd take this memory for granted._

" _What are you doing here at this hour tho'? Never took you for a morning person." She then asked with narrowed eyes, letting her accent slip a bit._

 _Talon chuckled inwardly. Being raised a Crowguard and all, ever since leaving for the Institute, Lux ended up forming a slight accent from one side and another. It was quite adorable when it slipped._

" _Ah, no. I'm not. But Cassie boycotted cooking for a week since we got into a fight so I'm here to buy milk and cereals." He answered with an awkward shrug._

 _Lux noticed the bag of cereals he was carrying, 'Crunchy Gangplank' it wrote, and he chose chocolate chips, then she noticed her own bag of cereals, the same, except for the fact that she had hers with dried strawberries._

" _I see… I better get going then." Lux said awkwardly, nodding at him and then ready to move past him._

" _Wait," the moment she heard him, her body acted on its own and she stopped._

 _Turning around, she waited for him to speak, but was able to only see a Talon looking at his feet, biting at the bottom of his lip, a small crease forming on his forehead._

" _I'm glad we ran into each other," he said, with eyes full of hope._

 _Then she ran away._

Another sigh left her lips as she chose to take a sip from her drink. She had never been a fan of alcohol, but things change and Lux found about that the hard way. Some other things, however, they never changed and she wasn't sure anymore what hurt more: the things that changed or the ones that stayed the same, even after so much time.

"You seem so out of place, sitting here by yourself," a feminine voice brought the blonde back from her thoughts.

As Lux looked up, she grimaced inwardly, upon recognising the woman who invited herself to sit on the chair facing hers. Her golden locks sat proudly on tanned shoulders, as her lithe figure was hugged by a burgundy dress. It's not that Lux had anything against the woman, heck, she was seeing her for the second time in her life, but she had heard the stories, knew how close Talon had been to his step-sister, Cassiopeia. And Lux also knew that the woman could smell secrets from a mile away – she could pretty much guess what last week's fight was about without anyone giving her a hint. Besides, she pretty much guessed that Cassiopeia was being overprotective over her brother, and she saw Lux as a threat.

Much like everyone else did.

"Ha ha, I suppose," Lux forced a dry laugh as she sipped some more from her glass. The taste was horrible.

She noticed how Cassiopeia took in her features, and Lux could feel herself shiver under her emerald gaze. She wondered just how much the woman knew, as she seemed to be quite intuitive. Alas, Talon had someone to confine into, unlike her. Then again, of course he would, that was the sole reason he left her – for his family. Not like Lux would blame him for that, it was also out of her own choice that she shut herself from the world.

"I cannot believe what a dumbass of a brother I have," Cassiopeia blurted out and Lux nearly choked on her drink. "I'm trying to think of a valid reason as to why he'd leave you, but the only answer I could come up with is that he's retarded." She sighed heavily afterwards.

Lux was left to stare at her in disbelief. She knew. But how much? Did she really know the truth and was simply poking at her wounds or was she oblivious to the whole thing?

"Did he tell you about us?" Lux then found herself asking in disbelief. So her guess had been right, Talon did have a fight with Cassiopeia, and the fight was about their past.

The older woman smiled at Lux, but it was a rather sad response. Taking a moment to gather her thoughts, she then looked at Lux in the eyes. "I noticed there was something going on at the wedding. It's the way your bodies talked. I pressed on for answers and he gave in." Cassiopeia shook her head. Lux knew that food and blackmail were involved. "I don't want to get between the two of you, I don't want to take anyone's side, and although what he did was stupid, he had his reasons. So, if you want to hate on someone, you can hate on me." She chuckled with anger, pointed at herself. She realised that her selfishness ruined two people's lives. "I called him back, begging for help. Our mother died around that time, Katarina went into shock, our father left without a notice and I was left all alone. I didn't know about you two being together, I didn't think about his life outside of Noxus. All I could think about was the fact that my life fell apart within a few hours and I was left alone. I was selfish and begged him to come back. Which, in turn made him abandon you. I didn't know, he never spoke of you. I just came forward to say that I'm sorry. I know it won't fix anything, but I hope that at least you could talk it out. I'm not saying this so that I push you two to make up just to feel better about myself, but maybe it's better than running from each other forever."

Lux didn't know what to say. She did not expect such words to come out of the blonde's mouth. Heck, hearing such things coming from someone who was on the outside, someone who wasn't there when it happened… it felt wrong.

Lux shook her head. "It's not so easy, you know." She then laughed bitterly. "We're talking about 10 years here. Besides," she locked her eyes with Cassiopeia's, "there's nothing left to be said or done. The two of us were over before we even started."

Cassiopeia made a face that Lux couldn't read. Something between a frown and a sad smile. "You two have a lot more in common than anyone would believe. But tell me, Lux, is he the reason you choose to get married instead?" She asked and Lux was taken off-guard by the directness.

"No?" What the hell was going on?

"I see," Cassiopeia whispered, then rose to her feet, excusing herself from Lux's company.

Cassiopeia felt bad about the whole situation, since she knew she was the one to blame. Talon sacrificed Lux, and himself also, for her and Katarina's sake. Their father was at fault also. Talon was at fault for not believing in his feelings for Lux and Lux was at fault for letting him go. So much unhappiness drifted around them, and Cassiopeia wanted to do everything in her power to right this wrong.

That, unless it was becoming too late to do anything. The rumours circulating about Lux's possible engagement did not help her cause.

Cassiopeia found her brother sitting at a table, in the midst of people, drinking from his glass of whiskey absentmindedly. She sighed as she took a seat next to him. She knew how much Talon hated being there, but the du Couteaus being an important figure of the Noxian society, they couldn't ditch such an event.

Talon looked at her, and Cassiopeia winced at the tiredness from his hazel eyes. Black circles rested under his eyes, and although his hair was tied at the back of his head and he was wearing a black suit, making him look gorgeous, although his handsome features seemed affected by age.

She knew what a toll a specific blondie had taken on him, ever since he heard the news of her possible marriage. And to Darius, of all people. He was well-known in all of Noxus and beyond, for being a ruthless businessman, handling some of the shadiest of businesses, but the fact that he was together with Lux, it was something that broke Talon's heart, although it shouldn't have.

He knew that he had no right to feel like that, so shaken and sad about Lux moving on with her life, given how much he hurt her in the past, but who was he to step up now? Yet, he had to show up at that charity event, to witness Lux saying "yes" to another man, a man who would never be him.

Clapping sounds echoed through the hall and Talon's attention was pulled towards the stage, his breath caught in his throat. There it was, the moment he dreaded the most in his life.

A tall, almost giant like man stepped on the stage, wearing a black suit, with a red rose in its chest pocket, hair black and styled backwards, with a single lock of white showing. A boastful grin was spread on his face as he began speaking.

"Welcome, dear people. It's a terrific honour to see you all here tonight. As you well know, the purpose of this meeting was to officially open the first centre of children's needs within Noxus. Abandon and pain are parts of everyday life, or at least that's what I used to think. But then, I met this wonderful person who showed me that life is more than suffering, that life is worth living, and she taught me that there is beauty in any things, in anyone, as long as we are willing to open our eyes." He paused for a moment, taking in the audience. "So, as to show my eternal gratitude, I wanted to give something for her in return. Luxanna, my dear, please join me," Darius stretched out his arm, and the public clapped as a glamorous Luxanna made her way to the stage, taking his big hand.

She was so small, so petite next to him, and yet, she took the attention of everyone. Talon forgot how to breathe. And that was when he realised how close but how far she stood from him. He could never become the light she deserved to be basked in. He could never offer her the spotlight she so much deserved. No, he would always be the one to drag her back to the shadows.

He looked away at that thought as his heart ached. She wouldn't notice anyways.

But she did. He was the first one whose face she recognised in the crowd.

And when she spoke, something inside of him shattered to a million pieces.

"I would like to thank everyone for being here tonight, at this charity event. Some of you may know what it means to me, but to those of you who don't, I would like to introduce myself properly. My name is Luxanna, and I am a service consultant for children's needs. I am someone who battles cruelty and injustice – without a cape, of course." She chuckled and everyone laughed. Or, well, almost everyone. "This may sound shallow, but I was someone who battled to survive on the streets, ever since I got kicked out of my house. In all honesty, I got lucky enough to meet someone like Darius, who offered me endless help and support, to become the woman I am today. I also know that not everyone has the same luck or opportunity I had, which is why, I wanted to offer the rest of the world the same opportunity to live and thrive. That is the whole reason for funding this organisation, to provide for children and teens in need." She paused, looking away from the crowd and to Darius. "And without you, I wouldn't have been able to do any of this. So, Darius, thank you." Lux smiled at him sweetly and he smiled back.

He then took Lux's hand in his and placed a chaste kiss on her knuckles.

Cassiopeia looked with worry at her brother, noticing how Talon was sipping from his whiskey, back turned at the stage. She dreaded the moment that was about to come. She hated how things ended up, hated that her beloved brother would soon lose the last bit of happiness forever. If she could, Cassiopeia would scream 'fire', just to halt the moment.

"You're amazing, Lux. You did everything on your own, which is why, you have my full respect. Also, that is the reason you are so dear to me. I hope that you will never leave my side. Luxanna, if you could, would you…"

A chair being thrown backwards broke the moment and Darius noticed someone exiting the hall.

But even more than that, he noticed the look on Lux's face, as her eyes nearly teared up at the sight.

Talon couldn't take it anymore. Maybe the whole situation got to his head, maybe the alcohol was clouding his better judgement, maybe his heart couldn't bear any more heartache, but he's had enough. He was close to tears, so he had to leave. That, or he'd probably walk up the stage, take Lux over his shoulder and run off with her in the sunset. And since that option was not possible, he decided to take his leave and drown his sorrows.

Taking a bottle of whiskey on his way up to the room they reserved, tears spilled the moment he closed the door behind him and he slid down the door, drinking his sorrows away.

* * *

 _She's got that devil touch_

 _That apocalyptic lust_

 _I swear I'm not a sinner_

 _I'm just beautifully broken_

* * *

Insecure steps echoed in the room sometime later, as silver heels stopped at the edge of the bed, her long dress resting at her ankles as she stopped, looking at the man lying on the bed. The bottle was abandoned somewhere on the floor nearby, mostly emptied and she frowned upon seeing his tormented face. He was in pain even while asleep.

She was making a mistake, she was aware. But even so, she couldn't leave him be. He's been on her mind far too long to remain sane. So she wanted to make one last mistake, before letting him go for good.

If… she could only muster up the strength to do so.

Stepping out of her heels, she climbed on the bed, not caring if she awoke him, as she dragged her dress along his long legs. She let part of her weight press onto his thigh, straddling him as she leaned into him, caressing his face.

Talon's eyes fluttered open, taking a look at the intruder. He was met with blue eyes, platinum hair and red lips, and for a moment there, he thought he was dreaming. Instead, he let out a dry laugh as he palmed her cheek.

"You're so stubborn lately. You keep showing up in all of my dreams and nightmares alike." His voice was huskier than usual, given his drunken state. "Lux." He called out her name with such fervour, that she shivered.

"And you're present in mine," she spoke, a ghost of a caress on his cheek.

Talon's eyes widened slightly, upon realising that she wasn't a phantasm of his mind, and he sat up abruptly, holding her by her small shoulders.

Lux was just as surprised by his actions.

"Why are you here?" He then asked with uncertainty, releasing her and running a hand through his messy hair. He berated himself for looking like your regular drunken guy, while a goddess visited him.

What was she even doing there? Wasn't she supposed to celebrate her engagement with Darius? Did she want to see him before giving herself away to another man? Why did she even _want_ to see him?

"I don't know." Came her sudden reply. "I saw you leave suddenly and I just found myself here. Cassiopeia told me where to find you." Lux said, unable to look at him in the eye.

But Talon wasn't satisfied with her answer.

So he did something he knew would regret later. He grabbed a hold of her forearms and turned them around, pinning Lux onto the bed and forcing his weight ever so slightly on her. Talon held her by her wrists above her head and noticed the look of confusion flash on her face. She then frowned at him.

"You come to my room, climb onto my bed and expect me to believe that? After everything that happened and mostly will happen?" Talon nearly growled the question, eyes never leaving her face.

For a moment, Lux stared back at him blankly. Then, much to his shock, her face softened in a smile.

"I don't have an answer, Talon. My body acted on its own and once again, I found myself walking back to you." She shook her head as she closed her eyes to bite back the tears. "I guess some people never truly learn."

There was a battle going on inside of him. She was there, under him, and he could probably do whatever he wanted with her, and she'd let him. Then, the other, more rational and human sided of him objected to the thoughts. He would not take advantage of her, even if she were to throw herself into his arms.

She was no longer his for taking.

So, much to his dismay, and aching heart, he released her, moving off of her.

"Leave." His voice was crude, as he didn't – couldn't – face her.

"No." Was Lux's short reply.

"You're cruel," he laughed bitterly, although he felt like crying.

Her laugh chirmed in the semi-darkness and Talon felt like a lost child.

"So are you."

"Leave, Lux. Before we do something that we'll both regret," Talon begged her, finding himself holding onto the remaining bits of his lasting sanity.

Her reply was locking her arms around his shoulders, leaning her front against his back. Talon's breath hitched as he felt her press into him. He was itching to hold her, to take her, and to make her his.

"This is probably the only thing I've wanted this badly in my whole life," she whispered into his ear, placing a kiss against his earlobe.

Talon drew in a short breath and he knew that at that moment, all reason had left him.

Turning around, he swiftly pushed Lux on her back, securing her wrists and towering over her. He loved how small she was against his frame, and he had missed having her underneath him.

"You're gonna regret this, Lux." It was a warning, although it sounded more like a promise. He was afraid of her regretting this and leaving him behind like nothing else happened.

But who was he kidding? Talon knew very well that that's what was going to happen anyways.

His lips crashed against her softer ones and Lux hummed into the touch, her back arching slightly, as she allowed herself to get lost in the feeling. His other hand travelled to her chest, but due to the dress she's been wearing, he couldn't feel much, so, with a swift tug at his tie, Talon took it off, only to tie it around Lux's wrists, keeping them above her head.

"W-what are you?!" She protested in shock, but Lux was soon left without words as she felt her dress unzipped, and pulled down her body.

Her breath hitched as the cool air hit her skin, more or less also the fact that she wore nothing but a pair of lacy panties, her breasts left to the harsh conditions and Talon's lusty gaze. Lux bit at the bottom of her lip, knowing that she shouldn't have come to him, given how rough he was handling her, and yet, the feeling of excitement building up inside of her made it all seem worthy.

"Take off your shirt," she demanded and Talon regarded her with an evil smirk.

Lowering himself at her level, she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, hovering his mouth above her neck. "And who are you to give me orders?"

Shivers raced down her spine as she heard his dark voice, but Lux was given no time to recover as he nibbled at the soft skin of her neck, dragging his teeth along the flesh. He grabbed both of her breasts, playing around with them, moulding them at his own desire, and Lux had a hard time holding back a moan.

His kisses went lower on her bared skin, biting at her collarbone, then grazing his teeth up to her chest. He placed kisses on one of her breasts, while his hand was playing with her other. What Lux did not expect was his free hand, travelling between her legs in an instant. He traced the lines of her panties in a swift motion and she found herself crying out, much to her embarrassment.

Talon let out a chuckle. "Someone's hot and bothered," he then spoke as he looked up from between her breasts, his fingers not halting their movements from between her legs.

Lux was visibly flustered, but she didn't want to give in to him. Cocking an eyebrow upwards, Talon took it as a challenge. Moving the fabric of her underwear aside, he circled the area around her lower lips, drenching himself in her pleasure.

"Untie me, this instant," Lux struggled, unable to bear the embarrassment, and the smug look on his face as he was toying with her, and just as she glared at him, he inserted a finger into her womanhood.

Her instant reaction was a loud moan. Her back arched at the sensation and her eyes were forced shut. It's been too long since anyone had made her feel that way and she was slowly losing herself to him.

Talon circled his finger inside of her, expanding her walls, all the while playing with her breasts. Feeling her heat rise, he added another finger and Lux let out a scream at the sweet intrusion. He had almost forgotten what her voice sounded like, when she was feeling pleasure.

But when he wasn't paying much attention, Lux took it as her cue to lower her arms from above her head and grabbed a hold of his shirt, tearing it open, forcing some buttons to fly in random directions in the process. She didn't feel good about the fact that he was fully dressed while she was bare.

Talon chuckled at her act of frustration, but decided to turn the events to his favour.

"Ain't you a naughty own, Misses Luxanna?" He teased as he grabbed a hold of her chin, fastening his pace, his fingers moving inside of her, driving her crazy.

She tried to bite back a moan but when he kisses her with such passion, all the while the tension was building up in her core, she couldn't help but moan into his kiss as pleasure overcame her, and her body withered in his arms.

Chuckling at her wasted state, Talon pulled out his fingers, only to taste her on himself, and Lux's eyes widened at the dirtiness of the image. "You haven't been a good girl lately, you know that?" He taunted her and something inside of Lux squeezed, as she realised how much he turned her own.

So, being a man of his word, Talon pushed her on her stomach, making sure that her arms weren't inconveniencing her, only to pull down her panties and slap her over her ass. He didn't hit her hard enough for it to hurt, but just enough for the sake of the moment. Lux cried out in shock but also in pleasure and he lowered himself above her, tracing feathery kisses on her milky white shoulders and small back.

Lux wanted to turn around, when she felt the tip of cock at her entrance, and Talon pushed her down against the mattress, grabbing a hold of her hair while he entered her swiftly. She cried out at the sensation, her walls being outstretched to their limit, and she also felt the hand grabbing her by the hair shake ever so slightly.

But the moment passed and Lux heard herself crying out in pleasure as he moved inside of her, without giving her time to adjust to him. The feeling was heavenly. Each thrust of his stretched her more and more, and he was getting deeper and deeper into her, Lux remaining on her stomach but lifting her ass just to give him a better position.

Talon grunted at the sweet invitation, and grabbing her ass while pulling at her hair ever the slightest he picked up his pace, ramming into her with much more strength than before.

"Ah, Talon, w-wait," she cried out, her cries and moans muffled by the pillow, as she felt her inside melt at the way he was thrusting into her. She was close to losing herself, and with each thrust she screamed louder and louder, up until the point her walls clenched and she had her release.

Talon groaned at the sensation and he quickly pulled out, so as to not lose himself as well, and, given himself some moments to catch his breath, as well as for Lux to recover as much as possible, he grabbed a hold of her lips, lifting her ass up in the air.

She cried out and then she felt him slid back inside and her whole body tensed at the feel of him inside. Talon showed no signs of mercy as he rammed into her from the very beginning, and Lux cried out in despair, her small body thrashing whenever he slid in.

He knew the reason why, as he found a sweet spot and he kept hitting that over and over again. The way she screamed out his name, the despair in her voice made him nearly go insane, but with each thrust, each time her walls squeezed him inside, he knew that he would soon give in to pleasure also.

So, leaning into her frame, he grabbed a hold of her breast while resting his head on her shoulder, her cries drove him mad and when her walls clenched around him, noticing her sweet release, he gave in to pleasure also.

He tried to collapse on the other side of the bed, not to crush her under his weight and he looked at her wasted form, lying on the bed, facing him. Her breaths were uneven, hair messy and cheeks rosy, while she had her wrists tied still.

With a pout, she held out her arms to him and with a chuckle, Talon untied her wrists, placing a chaste kiss on the inside of each wrist, much to Lux's surprise.

"Now what?" He then asked, moving the hair from his forehead back.

He noticed the blonde bite at the bottom of her lip, uncertain of her next actions. She was still feeling the afterglow of their actions, her mind a confused mess.

Talon put out his arm on the bed, and Lux took a moment to realise what he meant. So she moved shyly towards him, cuddling against his body and lying on his arm.

"I'm staying for 5 minutes to catch my breath then I'm out," she whispered as her eyes were slowly closing.

"Mhm," was his only reply, as he was also slowly drifting to sleep.

* * *

 _Now there's a darkness deep in me_

 _I keep falling asleep_

 _To these wicked dreams_

* * *

 **Here is the 2nd part of the story. Hope you enjoyed it!**

 **I wanted to thank Silver Queen's Goldfinch for letting me know I forgot to tag the characters lmao. It's amazing how stupid I can get sometimes.**

 **I know the characters may be a bit awkward at first glance, but I plan to round them up by the end of the story. which reminds me, there's a last part left.**

 **I try to make them seem as human and real as possible, given the fact that I did not dwell much on the events of separation and the past. That's why I only give out hints here and there, deciding to focus more on the present and their feelings now.**

 **As for the smut part... Well, I do know it may seem a bit rushed, but I wanted to incorporate the desperation - especially from Talon - when having her. And also the fact that it should be more about passion and just raw, without having any feelings involved. Although, well, the truth lies between the lines anyway.**

 **Well, with this, I'm out, thank you for your support and I hope you enjoyed to read this chapter!**

 **Buh-baaii~**


	3. Chapter 3

_Now there's a darkness deep in me_

 _I keep falling asleep_

 _To these wicked dreams_

* * *

A soft knock came from the entrance door, echoing through the apartment.

There was no response.

Another knock, this one sounding more impatient than the previous one. Getting no answer from inside this time either, the person outside sighed in frustration and slowly cracked the door open. Much to his surprise, it wasn't even locked.

"Lux, are you he – _what_ in the name of the gods are you doing?!" The man didn't believe his eyes when he was met with the sight before him.

It seemed as the apartment was suddenly too small for the battle it bore the previous night. Leftover food cluttered on the floor, clothes laid abandoned in every corner, bottles and glasses and bags of junk food littered the usually clean room. But by far the most worrisome sight was the small blonde head sticking out from the couch cushions, the back turned to the entrance, hair messy and body covered by oversized clothes. She didn't even react to him entering the apartment, as she was hovering over her laptop. With a roll of his eyes he crossed the distance to her.

"Hey!" His voice disturbed the silence of the apartment.

She continued to ignore him.

An angry vein bulged on his forehead. "I said _hey_." He nudged her back.

The blonde turned around slowly, baby blue eyes trying their best to focus in her current state, as she looked up at the newcomer. He rolled his eyes again. This reaction of hers was becoming a habit already, at least when he was the one dealing with Luxanna. She looked pathetic with tears streaming down her check, her nose running while she stalked a very certain individual.

"Deciuuusss~" Lux cried out as she jumped to her feet, turned and leaped into his arms. But for the motion was very sudden and she hadn't been standing in a while, she lost her balance and would've fallen to the ground, had the man not caught her with stoic calmness.

"And now," the young man mentally slapped himself as he placed the bag with ice cream on top of the woman's head to cool her down. "Get off." What came over her all of a sudden – ignoring the obvious signs given by the state of her home– he had no idea.

Lux took the cold snack off her head with a pout, taking out the ice cream, throwing the bag on the floor. She then vanished through the door at the far right end which led to the kitchen, to reappear and bring back one single spoon, only to drop to the ground in front of her couch before she began stuffing her face with the ice cream.

The man's brow lifted as he rounded the couch, kicking trash out of his way. Sitting down on the furniture behind Lux, he rested his chin in his palm while he put his arm on his knee, nudging the blonde once again. She had called him that morning, sounding like a walrus with a cold, demanding cheesecake ice cream. And now he found her in such a state.

"So?" Decius asked for an explanation.

She sighed. Without a word she nodded towards the article she'd been reading and upon seeing the headline, her behavior started to make sense. Decius let out a sound which was half a sigh and half a grunt.

"Why does Talon going to an event with Ahri affect you? Last time I checked you had nothing to do with him anymore." His brown eyes judged her as much as his tone did, making him not only look, but also sound like his father.

Lux didn't know what to say, much less how to explain her current state of mind. Thinking about it, she hardly knew herself what was going on with her. But Decius was the only one listening to her, so she tried to find the words nonetheless. "Because… ever since that night, he didn't try to contact me. All he's been doing is hooking up with that sly fox. Ugh!" She groaned, stuffing herself with more ice cream.

Decius leaned back against the couch. He ended up pushing an empty bottle further away from him. He noticed some other bottles in varying states of emptiness lying around. He couldn't help but make a face at the thought of her drinking all night and crying to herself, only to stay awake and demand ice cream first thing in the morning.

He knew he should console her rather than speak the words that threatened to slip from his tongue. But pretty words would not heal her wounds and would not help her in any way. As much as he hated to hurt Lux, if he wanted her to get back to her senses, he had to hurt her first. "If I remember correctly, you were the one who left him at the party." He didn't mean to call her out on her behavior for Lux and him had a rather strange relationship, but Decius couldn't understand why she was still acting like a kicked puppy which had alcohol and ice cream within reach.

Lux let out a heavy sigh. Putting the ice cream down between her legs, she ran a hand through her disheveled hair and leaned against his legs, the back of her head landing on one of his knees. Months had passed since that incident and autumn slowly set in. The weather was cold outside, mirroring the chill inside of Lux' heart. Although her first action after waking up had been getting up and leaving Talon behind in the hotel room, a part of her still hoped that he would reach out to her. Instead, true to his words, he had let go of her completely.

"Why do you have to sound so much like your father?" Lux asked with a small, sad smile as she turned around to face him.

Decius held her gaze without showing any emotion. "Darius has nothing to do with this."

Lux laughed without humour. Decius really took after Darius on more than one perspective. They shared many personal traits, a resemblance that reached far deeper than their similar built and facial features.

Although Darius and Decius hadn't been close ever since Decius' mother had abandoned them, Lux stepping into their lives had strained the father-son relationship even more.

"He asked me the same question before I left Noxus." Lux remarked.

She moved to the side until she sat next to Decius' legs, only for her to place her head on his knees once more. The young man started caressing her hair in an awkward try to soothe her.

"Maybe because we all ask us the same thing. My questions have nothing to do with my father, I'm only worried about you. You've been running away from that man" his chin hinted to the laptop, "for ten years. And now all of a sudden, you don't know how to run _to_ him fast enough, how to latch on to him strongly enough. And that worries me." He ruffled her hair and Lux let out a small laugh. "I grew up with you. I only had you around me, ever since Darius brought you in. I remember the way you looked when you first came to us, the emptiness in your eyes, the only will left in you was to die. I spent months befriending you, trying to help you, to get close to you. I know why you are hurting Lux, but I cannot _understand_ why you are still looking out for him. Didn't he hurt you enough already?"

Decius had a point, Lux realised. To the outside world her actions seemed to be illogical and senseless; and they would hardly result in anything but her burning her fingers again. It was already hard to provide an answer that made sense to herself. Why was she so obsessed with Talon? Why couldn't she just let him go? He had hurt her worse than anyone else. Worse than her parents who casted her out after she had tried to get away with him. As Decius had said, she had barely made it out alive and yet here she was, ready to jump for the slightest bit of his attention.

The first answer that came to her mind was an easy one. But as easily as it came, as difficult it was for her to say it aloud. Talon had declared himself, had set his vanishing into perspective, making it hard to hate him for it. "He abandoned me to return to his sisters. His adoptive mother died just before and Cassiopeia asked him to return home. So he did." Rolling her head to face him, Lux now stared into the young and still-forming looks of Decius. He was on the verge of becoming a young man, but his features still held the softer lines of a teen.

Decius snorted derisively. "Isn't that a good enough reason to let him be? Why chase him to such ends?"

Maybe Decius didn't understand because he had yet to experience his first love. Maybe others didn't understand because of various reasons. Lux had a difficult time understanding herself, and although she could provide the answers to most questions, she feared they would sound like excuses instead.

"I love him." She said aloud, even though she spoke more to the now empty bucket of ice cream.

The bucket didn't answer, and neither did Decius.

The silence became deafening.

She had kept those three words inside of her for longer than ten years, never speaking them out, hardly ever daring to think them inside her mind. They had always been there, in the dark corners of her head and now, finally, she had said them out loud.

"Then why did you leave?" Confusion mixed with worry on Decius' face. This woman was tiring him out. He wanted to understand in order to be there for her and provide what she needed, yet she made that a nearly impossible task.

"I'm scared of him not wanting me, of him pushing me away, abandoning me. Again. " Lux closed her eyes with a frown. It was complicated. She knew there were leftover feelings in Talon's heart, at least Lux could find no other explanation for his behavior. Seeing him like that, sleeping next to an almost empty bottle of alcohol had broken her heart. Still, they hardly were in a position to simply start over. Too many obstacles blocked the way between them.

The recent events made Lux wonder if maybe, just maybe their feelings matched. They both had some feelings remaining, maybe she more than him as the magnetic pull between them was too strong to resist. Repeatedly running into each other after spending ten years without even a glance of him gave her the feeling that the control over her life she had spent so many years establishing, spun out of her reach rapidly. They both had disappeared from the surface of the earth, and Lux was not exactly sure if it had not been better that way.

Maybe Talon was feeling the same struggle as she was… he simply had other unhealthy coping mechanisms.

Lux heard the rustling of fabric, indicating Decius shrugged. "I mean he thought you were getting engaged to my father." He stated casually, pulling Lux out of the swamp of her thoughts.

"I have no idea how those rumours started. Why would I be getting married to Darius? He could be my father." Lux dismissed the topic, ignoring the fact of Darius currently dating Cassiopeia, who was just slightly older than herself.

"If he had you when he was fifteen." Decius rolled his eyes. The topic of Lux and his father dating was quite unnerving to him. "Did you dismiss those stories as what they are?"

He stared into those beautiful orbs of blue she called eyes.

And stared. And kept on staring. Her not responding verbally was answer enough. "You didn't correct them, did you." His voice gained an accusing edge.

"No." Her voice was barely more than a whisper as she casted down her eyes.

Decius shifted his head in order to look into her face, to read her expression. She was easy enough to read on a good day, but right now Decius could only guess what her tightly closed lips and the pained expression meant. Shame? Regret?

A tiny meowl caught Lux's attention as a black ball of fur leaped on her legs, making the blonde lift her head from Decius' knees. She grasped for her kitten and ruffled the fur of the softly purring animal.

"At least Kurona won't abandon you." Decius stated flatly, looking at the adorable exchange.

"I can't ask him to stay." Lux said after a moment of silence, not meaning the kitten in her lap. "I told him I'd be leaving and he made no effort to make me stay. His sisters are more important to him than I am. I always knew. I got over it. I admit that I never dismissed the rumours. I wanted him to hurt, I wanted him to _ask_ me about them. I wanted to see if he cares enough to say something. But he doesn't care anymore. He made up his mind. Letting me go was proof of that." She kept her back turned to the boy while she continued playing with her cat.

"Did you make an effort to stay?" Decius turned her words around.

Lux's hands stilled for a moment before a playful paw forced her into action once more. "No. I told him I'd leave... after."

Decius had long lost every bit of willingness to follow her tangled up thoughts. He wasn't able to make sense of anything Lux was saying. To him, it felt as though she was running in circles, over and over again.

He patted her blonde locks. "Well, I guess you lost your spot both in Talon's life as well as the chance to become Darius' wife." Decius said sheepishly, meaning to comfort her with the bad joke.

Lux snorted as she slowly turned around to face him. "Worry not, little boy, one day you'll wake up having Cassie as your mom," she taunted with a wink.

Decius rolled his eyes. He had no idea how Darius had ended up speaking with Cassiopeia at the end of that one fateful charity event, but somehow they had started to spend much time with each other before the media had started to lunge at them. Not getting wrapped up in even more rumours and drama, they pulled through the initial phase of too many articles with too many unfavourable photos.

"Ah, by the way." Decius clapped his hands, remembering that there was another reason for his visit. "Father needs you at the translations office at Monday. We are supposed to be getting some nice artefacts."

"Sure, will do." Lux agreed with another heavy sigh.

* * *

 _Can't fight the darkness deep in me_

 _It's where she likes to keep_

 _Haunting my wicked dreams_

* * *

Looking at the wrinkled face of his father would never stop intriguing Talon. Although the signs of age slowly became visible, Marcus Du Couteau's most noticeable features had not changed. Strands of grey weaved through the red of his neatly tied back hair, the once emerald eyes were now glassy and faded while his beard held more white than red. The formerly intense glow of his green eyes slowly fading was more than certainly related to all the events that took place in the last years, the grief and misery he had put up with.

Talon sat across him in his father's study, watching his every motion with interest. Marcus had returned early from one of his countless expeditions and was currently looking through some old papers, trying to decode them. He had found them in one of the forgotten tombs of Shurima and had decided to take them back for translation.

Him asking for Talon to join in the unpacking was the reason the younger man stared at him now.

Talon was not impressed as of yet. He had so many things to do: papers to look through, to analyse, to speak with possible partners, just to make sure that the president's seat was warmed up when his father returned. Instead of doing his important work, Marcus planned to send him on a pointless trip to Piltover to have those old, but most likely meaningless papers translated. It was a simple messenger task, anyone could have gone in his stead. Why it had to be him, Talon had no idea.

Talon ran a hand through his dark locks, pulling a few strands free from his ponytail in the process. First he tried tucking them back behind his ear then he decided to let them be. He leaned into the chair, waiting for the head of the family to break the silence.

His father was eagerly skimming through the papers, obviously not understanding much – or anything at all, but his eyes were gleaming with curiosity. And who was Talon to ruin this moment of joy for him?

After another few moments of silence Talon leapt to his feet, unable to keep still any longer, and walked over to have a look through the huge windows behind Marcus' back. The wind was blowing quite angrily and clouds had gathered as a clear sign that it would rain later on. Autumn was not a happy season in Noxus for its abundance of rain. Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Talon leaned his head against the burgundy curtains, watching the storm outside unfold.

"Talon," his father finally called for his attention, "I have prepared one last task for you. After completing it, you can consider everything yours." Marcus' words as well as the undirected, but all-encompassing gesture of his hand made Talon's blood freeze in his veins.

What did he just say? More importantly, what did he mean?

Turning his head around slowly to look at his father, Talon was met with one of Marcus' rare, honest smiles. "What, you thought I'd let you work your ass off for the sake of someone else?" He snorted, enjoying the look of confusion on Talon's face.

"I don't understand."

"Obviously," Marcus bit back wittily. He then nodded towards the seat Talon had been occupying earlier and the man sunk back down seconds later.

Marcus had put a lot of thought behind this decision, not only because he had two other children to care for. Talon, despite being adopted, had shown great dedication to the family, up to the point where he sacrificed his own happiness for their sake. Since he had learned about it, guilt was eating at his conscience. Had Marcus been strong enough, had he not abandoned his girls when his wife died, had he not let all of his responsibilities fall upon Talon's shoulders from one moment to another, maybe things would have been different today. Maybe his son could have been happy.

Passing down his legacy was important for Marcus, yes, but not at the cost of one of his children's happiness. Katarina had obtained what she wanted, continuing to be the spoiled little girl she always had been. Things were slowly working out for Cassiopeia as well, as it appeared she had finally found her 'Prince Charming'. But Talon? His only shot at happiness, at real happiness was cut short when he chose duty over his heart's desire, making him abandon the pretty blonde girl.

So, in an attempt to fix his mistakes from the past, he would offer his son a gentle nudge in the right direction.

"Your final task with me as your president is to take these papers to Piltover. This is the address." He flipped another parchment over the table, Talon caught it effortlessly. "Once you return with them translated, you will find me retired so you may officially take over the business." Marcus said casually, eyes resting on his son's confused face.

"Why would you retire? You are not that old yet." He couldn't understand his father's actions.

Marcus chuckled a bit. "No, I'm not. But I'm tired. And I think it is about time you start achieving your dreams."

Talon cocked a brow upwards at that statement. Something was off. He just had no idea what.

"Anyway, you'll leave tomorrow, first thing in the morning. Once you return, we will take care of the formalities." Marcus said, making it obvious that it was time for Talon to leave.

Talon obeyed, continuing to look back at his father while leaving the office, eyes narrowing and generally confused about the conversation.

Walking out of the study and heading towards the grand staircase he saw Cassiopeia, who was obviously preparing herself for a nice evening in front of the giant mirror. Her hair was tied up in a neat bun, she wore a beige shirt and a dark blue pencil skirt to fitting beige heels.

Talon stopped next to her. "Where are you going?" He asked his sister curiously, even though her attire gave away enough.

Which was the reason for Cassiopeia to look him dead in the eye, holding his gaze for a long moment, asking herself if he was being serious. "To fight the dead. And bake cookies afterwards." She declared before heading to the stairs.

Talon rolled his eyes and followed her. "Darius?"

"Yep." She replied with glee. "We are going to have lunch."

Looking at her giddy self, Talon couldn't help but smile at one of his sisters. He was happy, as both of them were happy. Even Cassiopeia had managed to find love with a very unexpected man.

"I'm leaving for Piltover tomorrow, by the way." He said as he crossed his arms, following his sister into her adventure of getting ready in time.

"Father, right?" She glanced back at him while checking the contents of her purse.

"Yea. He also said he'd be retiring."

Cassiopeia halted her actions for a second. Talon couldn't see whether she was surprised or not. "Was about time to officially let you handle everything." She said with a smile as she turned around to hug him genuinely. "I'm so happy for you."

Talon looked away awkwardly. He didn't know how to deal with such affection. "...Thanks?"

Cassiopeia chuckled as she ruffled up his hair, but then her smile faded.

"I have news about… Lux…" Cassiopeia didn't know whether she should share this piece of information or not so she stood there awkwardly, waiting for her brother to give her a sign.

It felt like all of the air suddenly rushing out of Talon's lungs. True to her word, Lux had left before he had awakened and ever since then, he had felt hollow. Although she had never gotten engaged to Darius, she had still ran away from him. She had never tried to contact him, as if he didn't matter anymore, as if that passing moment of vulnerability shared between them had never existed at all. Maybe he had misinterpreted and he had been the only one vulnerable. Three quarters of a bottle of whiskey tended to make you imagine things. He had tried to move on and forget about her once more, like he had tried and failed for ten years now, but no other woman would ever compare to a strand of her hair. Talon realised at that point that he might as well be cursed for eternity.

He ached to hear anything about her, but at the same time he didn't, knowing that the information held the power to tear him to pieces.

But _maybe_ , a tiny voice inside of his head whispered, maybe it was possible to heal. Maybe hurting was the first step to piece himself together again. Running away had not helped his cause, as the last ten years had shown. With a deep sigh he decided to take her on headfirst this time. Maybe _this_ would finally work.

"Tell me." He let the pain burn at his lungs upon breathing in her name.

"Lux, she… she is not okay lately. She holed herself up in her apartment. Rarely leaves, doesn't eat anything, doesn't speak to anyone. Darius fears that she may be falling into depression." Cassiopeia said, with her head bent.

Talon forced his eyes shut, hands tightening to fists at his side. Then, he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. There, the first wave of the poison was out. Sadly, it didn't make him feel any better.

"I think I know what that feels like." He then replied with a sad, bitter stretch of his lips.

* * *

 _She sings_

 _Unbury me_

 _Unbury me_

 _She sings_

 _Unbury me_

 _Unbury me_

* * *

He had never liked Piltover. Everything was noisy and agitated, its people always in a rush – it was the _City of Progress,_ all right. Yet to him, it was the city of broken dreams. In the past, he and Lux had ran off to Piltover, but with their money running out they had to find a place in the messy suburbs of Zaun instead. Returning to this place after so many years did not help his cause as the memories immediately returned to haunt him. Her head against his arm as they stepped into their new apartment, the warm gleam in her eyes, looking at him as if he was the only thing that really counted. _We can do this._ Her words echoed through his mind, as well the memory of his reaction. At that time, he had believed her.

Talon grimaced and pushed them back into his mind as he kept driving down the busy streets of Piltover. Crashing because he was lost in his own head would be stupid, so he tried to make sense of the address he was given by his father. The translation office was quite small apparently, pulled back to a less agitated part of the city. But, as Talon had tried avoiding Piltover as much as possible, he wasn't familiar with the streets.

At least the people he asked were able to give him instructions. The next time he'd go here, Talon swore to himself, he'd be getting one of those gadgets which showed the street names and the direction he had to take.

After hours of pure torment he finally arrived at the sought building and he took out the sealed box which held the papers, checking the car one last time before heading to the entrance of the building.

The receptionist was nice and polite, maybe because she recognised who he was.

"Oh, we've been informed of this personal request from Marcus du Couteau so our director will personally take care of you and your request." The woman fluted with a smile while checking her files. "Here is your access badge. You can go to the fifth floor where you will find her office at the very end of the hall." She then provided him with instructions.

Taking his badge, Talon thanked her and headed towards the elevator. When it arrived Talon made room for the people who were coming down. One rather tall guy caught his attention. He was different from the rest, even familiar in some way. But Talon wasn't able to pinpoint any more so he let it go. With the elevator being filled with more and more people as it stopped at every floor, Talon realised that the building itself was not very large. Each floor had enough space for twenty to thirty people to work in modest cubicles and, guessing from the glances he stole, it also housed a kitchen. The smart part was that the business owned five floors, four if you only counted the floors where people were actually working, since the ground floor was meant for management issues while the fifth floor was way smaller than the rest as it consisted of only a small hallway which led to the director's office.

Although Talon liked the idea of having a whole floor with solely his own office on it, he couldn't help but wonder whether the director felt lonely or isolated. Back at their own company, the director's office was strategically placed in the middle of everything so everyone could reach out to the one sitting inside, should the need arise. While it tended to be noisy all the time, it had proven to increase the loyalty of the employees and their ties to him as well as to the company.

 _Director_ , Talon tried the word in his head first. It felt weird, unusual. Maybe it would be better to decline the offer after all. He wasn't made to lead a company. He wasn't even capable of carving a happy life for himself.

Talon arrived in front of the director's door and placed his palm on the handle, trying to push the thoughts aside for the moment. The name tag didn't register as he knocked automatically, forcing his brain into its working mode.

The lightly chirmed "come in!" from inside made him steel himself, pushing the handle down.

Brightness greeted him as he opened the door. He had to blink against the sun's rays as he stepped into the room where tall windows let the light in, reflected by white furniture. A desk caught his gaze next as his eyes wandered to the person sitting behind. The air left his lungs once more as if someone had kicked him. It was _her_. He blinked twice then took a step backwards, out of _her_ office, closing the door in front of him. He checked the golden plate from outside and his jaw almost dropped as he saw the name written on it. Opening the door again seconds later, Talon was met with the exact same imagery, the exact same person sitting at the desk, with the only difference that this time she looked at him with raised eyebrows.

Talon took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart "What are you doing here?" He asked like an idiot.

She rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms in front of her chest and leaned back in her leather chair. "I own this place." Came her flat reply.

The sign on the door should have been all the evidence he needed. "Right." Talon felt so awkward he had no idea on how to continue this interaction. Fate proved once again to be a fickle mistress. Sighing heavily, Talon decided to do the easiest thing, carry out the task Marcus had given him without further questioning. He crossed the distance to her desk to place the box on it, looking at his charge for a long moment before he had gathered enough courage to look up once more.

The light pouring through the big windows in her back blurred her edges, making her look ethereal and Talon found himself unable to look away, but also unable to just meet her gaze. He needed a bit of preparation to not falter, so he let his eyes wander up slowly. She looked gorgeous in her office attire, a simple white top with a black dress. Her platinum locks were secured in a messy bun. Talon's gaze wandered further, towards her bright eyes, currently shining with rage as she met his gaze. Only at the second look Talon saw the dark circles under her eyes and noticed how her lipstick was the only thing colouring her lips. She looked thinner than she had months ago, where her image had burned itself into his memory.

For a long moment they stared at each other, Lux with anger, Talon with... too many emotions to be named.

Talon decided to break the silence with a frustrated snort. "Good morning, Lux. Funny seeing you again," At this point he didn't believe in coincidences anymore. They clearly both didn't wish to, but continued to keep running into each other.

"Hello, Talon. Define funny." Her voice was cold as ice. She put down her reading glasses and massaged the bridge of her nose with two fingers, closing her eyes in the process.

Now, with having decided to stay, he gestured towards the seat in front of her desk and Lux nodded, eyes opening with her expression hardening, as if she steeled herself. Talon took off his leather jacket, remaining in a navy shirt only, and sat down. He ignored the prowling eyes Lux had followed him with the whole time as well as her chewing on the bottom of her lip shortly, clearing her throat afterwards. This was her being embarrassed, nothing else.

"My father asked me to get these papers translated. I had no idea it was your company doing the translations. I had no contact name, just an address, so... " He let the words hang in the air, not sure with how to continue the sentence, until enough time passed to make a continuation even more awkward than just keeping quiet.

Lux shook her head, expression unreadable. She didn't intend to ask more questions either, although she had known that Marcus would be sending his most recent discoveries. Who would have thought that he'd use his own son for a simple messenger task? Not her, as much was sure.

"Coffee?" She asked, trying to be polite at the very least, breaking the very uncomfortable silence.

She would be professional about the whole thing, ignore everything that laid on the tip of her tongue. She was able to treat him like every other customer. Even though Talon du Couteau was far from that.

Talon took a deep breath. She did not sound hostile, just tired. "No, thank you. I plan on having some breakfast once we finish here and then to return to Noxus shortly after." He replied, rubbing his eyes.

"Did you drive all the way?" Lux asked with a concerned frown.

Talon nodded, placing his hands on the armrest to stop himself from fiddling. "Yes, the old man asked me to bring these papers here first thing in the morning. What he forgot to take into consideration was the six hours ride by car from Noxus to Piltover." His voice was flat, as he tried to his best to hide the truth lying behind each syllable. He was furious with his father.

"So why don't you rest today? You can head back to Noxus tomorrow." She suggested casually. There was nothing hidden behind her words for once, as it was an almost normal conversation they were having.

Talon sighed and leaned against the chair back, closing his eyes for a second. Lux utilized the short moment to drink the sight in, his dark, shoulder length hair tied at the back of his head with a few rebellious locks coming undone, his navy sweater hiding the lines of his muscles she knew to lay beneath. And yet, the best part included a pair of black jeans covering those long legs of his, currently crossed by the ankles, and the military boots he was wearing. All of those, they all added up to this image of a wild, unrestrained panther in the form of a man. Lux felt the ache in her stomach, despite having done her best to try and hold it back.

It was neither the time nor the place, and most certainly not the right person to jump on to.

Talon contemplated his answer only for a second. "Marcus said that once I return, he will formally entrust the company to me." He opened his eyes, amber meeting baby blue. Talon had no idea why was he giving her so much information. At first, he had simply wanted to complete the task given to him; dropping the box for translation, having breakfast and then return to Noxus. He had no idea when his plans had changed, even though he technically knew he acted stupid.

Why did he want to steal such precious moments with her? Why was he trying to spend time with her, despite knowinge that it would end, leaving him in even more pain, because he had been given him a glimpse of what could have been his?

Talon knew the answer to that. He wasn't able to let her go, at least not now, not with her being friendly, without her showing the rejection, the hate that had followed him to his darkest nightmares. Talon knew that once he left her office, there was hardly a chance of seeing her again. So his father's request must have been as merciful as it was heartbreaking. One last act of pity towards an undeserving son.

"Congratulations!" She said with a small, honest smile, catapulting Talon right back to a time where her smiles at him had been bright, sincere and full of hope. "You will finally achieve your dreams!"

A strange feeling came over him upon hearing those words. His stomach turned upside down, as he was not sure how to take in the chiming sound her voice sounded like, compared to the cruelty her words brought, without her even noticing.

Talon had to avert his eyes, taking a moment to think about that. When had taking over the du Couteau company ever been his dream? It had always been something to achieve, to work for, sometimes more, sometimes less reachable for him. Something to make his father proud, and to show himself that he belonged into the family that had given him so much more than he deserved.

He looked into her face again, regarding her features with a sad smile. "Except, that was never part of my dreams. A goal, yes, but when I claim the company, I'll lose all hope towards my _real_ dream." He continued, eyes fixating hers.

Lux's gaze wavered as she blinked and looked away.

He was going crazy, Talon knew. He should have left the second he had placed the box on her desk. The more time he spent with her, the more her presence rose to his head, dizzying like booze. He wasn't able to remain sane in her presence.

"Tell me," his voice gained a new, dangerous edge. "When I take over the du Couteau business, would that be reason enough to make you _stay_?"

What had gotten into him all of a sudden? Why was he pushing her limits and his own as well? Just what made him decide to overstep their boundaries? Had he finally gone mad? Was the fear of losing Lux, of never seeing her again that big of a threat to his already torn up heart? He had no answer to any of those questions. All he knew was that he had this moment. This one moment, and once it passed, it would become a memory too painful to carry around, or to even bury.

The question threw Lux off guard. She looked at him with disbelief and a frown. "The prospect of money and influence has never influenced my life choices. I turned my back to my wealthy family to be with you, as you might remember." Her tone was accusing and Talon was sure that he had insulted her.

Talon rose to his feet. For a second Lux thought that she had chased him away with her words, something she equally feared and wanted, for if he left now, it would finally be over. On the other hand… _It would be over, then_.

Why could she not make up her mind? A part of her wanted Talon to stay, while the remaining part was shivering in fear. Such conflicting emotions would be the end of her – that, if the presence of that man called 'Talon' would leave any shattered pieces lying behind.

"Why didn't _you_ choose to stay with _me_? I am really trying to make amends, but you always leave. I _know_ I made a mistake, the biggest of my life, and I get that you have every right to walk away. But… but... Am I really that bad of a guy? Am I still not worthy of our time now, years later?" He sounded and looked like a wounded, cornered animal, even though he was the one standing, towering over Lux, and she was looking up at him wide-eyed, trying to discern if his last option was to bite and try to scare away the non-existing hunters.

Lux rose to her feet as well, slightly leaning towards him, although he still had the height advantage over her. His wide shoulders and tall body could have been intimidating. Yet, she would not back down.

Not this time, at least.

Lux realised that this was a turning point in her life where she had to act. She could either finally stop hiding behind excuses, leave the past behind or back away forever. He had taken the first step, it was her turn to follow.

"Because you were the one who left the first time! How can you expect me to stay when there is still the possibility of you changing your mind once more, leaving me again? What reason can you give _me_ to stay?" She raised her voice as tears began to burn in her eyes.

She hated herself, hated that she could not let go of him, that she was making a fool of herself, and the fear in her soul kept growing. What if he decided to come back for a grand finale where he was going to make sure that she was shattered beyond repair? Would she be able to live with herself if Talon would leave her behind a second time?

"I _tried,_ but you wouldn't let me! I should have told you of the reasons myself, I did not want to send forth Cassiopeia to smooth the way, but the point is that you now know why I left in the first place. You kept pushing me away whenever you had the chance, you were never honest with me, and last time _you_ chose to go. How can I dare to ask you to stay when you make it abundantly clear that you don't want to?"

She snorted. "Consider us even then. I never dismissed the rumours about Darius and you never asked, but started going out with Ahri. There. Neither of us was honest with the other." Lux said, clearly annoyed as she turned away from him, arms crossing in front of her chest.

Talon stared at the back of her head for a moment as her words seeped in and their meaning unfolded in his brain.

He walked around her desk and with a swift movement he grasped for both of her wrists, ignoring her pointed, slightly shocked stare as he gave her a shove and pinned her against her desk. Lux looked up, the initial shock subsiding to annoyance, although he could almost hear how crazily her heart was beating. His own heartbeat picked up as he was finally close to her once more.

"We are even, you say?" He extracted the important message out of her words, voice gruff. She didn't answer as her gaze alternated between her imprisoned hands and his towering form. The important part was, she did not object. "I hurt you and you made me suffer enough to atone? What do you want to do now that you declared us even?" He was taunting her, he knew, she knew, it was quite a wicked game, but since none of them were straightforward enough, hiding behind this game would suffice. For this was the important part – he asked because he really wanted to know what she expected.

Anything, just so they could be together again.

Blankness enveloped her mind, but then everything started to make sense to Lux. It felt as an eruption of some sort, like a volcano of feelings they had both kept dormant for thousands of years. She saw her small form scared and confused reflected in his warm eyes, and that was when she realised the truth.

Talon was just like her. If reflecting in his eyes was not solid proof, she did not know what else could count for it. He was going through the same torment she was, he was having the same wicked thoughts and moods – just like her. They both danced around each other, sharing lithe touches only to back off afterwards as if struck by lightning. Lux's fears were reflected by Talon's fears. They were both swimming in an ocean of uncertainty.

And after coming back to her senses, she found herself held by him, and could only see one path to take in front of her.

Lux still didn't try to free herself from his hold, made no move to push him away, but she bit her lip, looking up at him with reddening cheeks. "I think this is the moment where you kiss me and we can make up… Maybe." She held his gaze and Talon's face loosened into a wicked expression. "O-or you can just let go of me and return to Noxus, whichever option suits you best." She then added quickly, upon seeing his reaction.

He leaned into her slowly, waiting for her to display signs to stop. None came and her eyes fluttered shut right before he pressed his lips against hers gently, trying not to hasten his actions.

The moment she felt his lips against hers it felt like lightning rushing through her whole body and without a conscious thought Lux broke her hands free from his grasp, locking them around his shoulders, straightening her back into his front in the process. She moaned into the feeling as Talon deepened the kiss, one of his arms holding the small of her back while the other was busy pushing up her skirt.

She was bothered by him, by the way he made her body respond to his touches. It was raw, thoughtless, passionate; and she had never felt more like a woman than when he did _that_ to her.

But even more so than that, her soul went up in flames. The broken pieces patched back up together, and the concrete walls around her heart came crushing down. How stupid of them, to waste so much of their lives avoiding each other when they could melt in that sweet feeling. Lux could swear that her soul, her whole being was connected to his, starting from their fingertips and ending in the most unknown parts of their conscience.

Talon's hands wandered to her thighs, pushing them apart as to make space for himself between them as he gave Lux a strong enough shove to push her on her desk, all the while recapturing her lips and ravaging her hair. Her hands roamed his body in the same way, fingers treading through his ponytail, making even more strands coming loose as she clawed at him with the same kind of desperation. Neither of them knew how to get closer, faster to the other, how to feel each other better.

Breaking the kiss, he traced his lips down to her neck, all the while his fingers pulled her skirt up high enough for him to play around. He bit into her soft flesh while tracing the lines of her womanhood through her underwear. Apparently Lux liked silk underwear way too much for his own good.

Talon realized that this was the kind of poison he could never get out of his system. It would most probably be the cause of his death, at one point or another. But dying while surrounded by the softness of her skin, the scent of lavender corrupting his senses and the way her body fitted into his palms, it was the kind of death he would succumb to for eternity.

She cried out and pulled at his hair, which made him grunt against her neck, the vibrations sending shockwaves to her core.

"Please don't play games." She breathed against his temple and his only response was to seize her lips again.

Having sex with her consumed by desperation wasn't such an unfamiliar feeling, and it was the best he could offer her right now. She didn't object, and the dampness under his fingers as well as her movements under him spoke volumes. So he took off her underwear, pushed down his own jeans and with a bit of help from Lux to refresh his excitement, he entered her in one swift movement, the sudden tightness, wetness, the feeling of lust nearly overwhelming him.

The feeling of her was something he could never get enough from. It was not the healthiest coping mechanism for either of them, but it was the best they got at the moment. Neither knew how to make love, they never learned to do so with each other- ten years ago it had been the all-consuming lust of two teenagers not really knowing about their bodies- but that was something Talon was willing to learn.

Lux's whole body tensed up at the sweet intrusion and she clung to him with despair. She pulled his head down to her level and kissed him with all of her pent up need and want, all the while urging for him to move with a cant of her hips. It wasn't easy for Talon to obey her. If he moved like she wanted him to, he'd probably finish the next second. Being inside her felt so good, so all-consuming that he almost forgot how to breathe.

Her small hands trembled just the slightest when she held onto him. She was scared of what was in store for them, but she was willing to take this moment and make the best of it.

Talon hoped that he and Lux shared the same hopes, that they would get many opportunities in the future to connect properly. His soul felt at home when she touched him, her body was his sanctuary.

"Talon," she whispered his name, and he opened his eyes to stare down at her flustered face.

Placing a gentle kiss on her forehead, he steadied an arm around her waist as he thrust into her, his pace slow but thrusts deep. He reached deep inside her and Lux started to quiver under his touch.

He could not get enough of her. _This_ was different, different from the past, different from the previous collision of their bodies. The actions were raw, messy and clumsy, but he felt a warmth in his chest and he did not want to let go of her for dear life. Lux's feet were dangling above ground and she was leaning backwards on the desk, most of her weight being held by Talon. He had his face rested against her shoulder, as she clung to him with all her strength.

"What are you doing to me?" She cried out as she looked up at his dark features, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. _This_ was different, she had felt it too.

"The same thing you are doing to me, but tenfold." He whispered and his lips pressed against hers, smothering her cries.

Her voice the sweetest melody he had ever heard, muffled by his unforgiving lips. He grunted, feeling his own release closing in As he was about to pull out as to not taint her insides, Lux, to his great astonishment steadied her legs around his waist, not letting him leave. The movement in itself made him lose his composure and his incoming finish came faster than expected.

They both remained like that, each a panting mess, clinging to each other. It was Talon who regained his senses first, grip around Lux strengthening as be pressed a long kiss on her cheek, relishing her dazed expression. Then he straightened his back, pulling up his pants and running his fingers through his hair before looking for some tissues to clean her of his mess.

Lux's eyes followed his movements carefully, wondering what he was going to do, feeling too good to get up from her own, not so ladylike position; sprawled on her desk with legs parted, underwear dangling somewhere on her right foot. The drawer of her desk opened and she heard Talon pulling something out of it.

The magic of the moment was slowly fading, and reality was pulling her back as inevitable as gravity.

Still breathing fast, Talon kneeled between her legs and Lux felt the blush deepening on her already tinted cheeks as he placed fluttering kisses on the insides of her thighs and started wiping up the overflowing juices that were slowly trickling down her skin.

"Wha–" She let out a yelp as she noticed what he was doing, but as she tried to push him away to avoid such an embarrassing situation, Talon simply clicked his tongue and glared at her.

His fingers remained dangerous close to her most sensitive area as he rose to his feet, once again towering over her.

"You asked me to stay. I do, and I also decided to take some responsibility." He told her without wavering. The smug expression pasted on his face threw the blonde off guard.

Lux's blush darkened as she fixed her gaze upon a spot on his shoulder, unable to look him in the eyes anymore. Indeed, her actions practically begged him to stay, although she wouldn't have assumed that Talon would go the extra mile and help her clean up.

"T-thank you," she stuttered embarrassed, yearning for a hole to jump and bury herself in.

The normal Lux and the horny Lux were very different in nature. But the horny Lux was rather tamed this time around, as she felt the most curious combination of two opposing feelings. Her body wanted one thing, while her soul demanded _more_. In the end, the two feelings mixed within her the moment Talon pulled he close.

Talon placed a gentle kiss on top of her head and continued to clean up the mess he caused, leaving stray kisses on her exposed skin. Pulling up her panties, he also tried his best to fix her skirt and shirt, all the while Lux stared at him blankly.

She could hardly believe that it had been this easy, convincing him to stay. The only answer she could provide was that, indeed, they both felt the same way.

"Why… are you doing all of this?" She found herself asking, and Talon looked down at her, meeting her gaze.

She had to ask, had to make sure. Make-up sex was one thing, but. she wanted to do this by the book. She wanted to know where they stood.

He sat down on her leather chair, pulling at Lux until she slid from the top of the desk into his lap, closing his arms around her. "Because I wanted to stay ever since I saw you again. Heck, I never even wanted to leave in the first place."

She tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. "But you still left." She said, voice lacking the sting of accusation they had held during their former encounters. She had become softer, much to her sudden realisation.

Talon sighed, leaning into her touch. "We were young, inexperienced and I was stupid to leave you. Had I known a better way, I wouldn't have abandoned you. But I didn't, I panicked with all those responsibilities suddenly overwhelming me. I want us to start over, for you are the only one for me." The gentle words whispered into her ear while he held her tightly made Lux melt.

Lux was scared, but she knew that Talon felt the same. They were way too similar for their own good and someone had to give in for the sake of a relationship between them working out. And because they were so similar to each other, they both knew of this. All of a sudden, however, it seemed as though that similarity was not that bad of a thing anymore. Lux could understand him and, although he was scared, so was she. Maybe they could make it work this time.

"I'm sorry for running away. It was hard seeing you again, imagining you in my life after all that time. I forgot how to act around you, I didn't know what to do, what to say, how to act upon my desires. I have wanted you for as long as I can remember." Lux confessed, unable to meet his stare. Instead, she buried her face in the crook of his neck, her arms locking around his shoulders.

Was this what happiness tasted like? It held such a sweet taste on her tongue, although she could also feel something salty, maybe that was the fear of uncertainty, of the path lying ahead of them. They had so many other things to face.

Talon chuckled at her embarrassment and snuck a finger under her chin, tilting her face upwards. "Someone has to stop running away in order for the other one to stay, right?" He joked and placed a kiss on her lips.

Her body was slowly coming back to life with each touch she received from him, with each caress and every kiss. It was amazing to finally be able to speak with him openly, without the need to hide behind masks and hurtful words. The effect Talon had on her body and general mood never ceased to amaze Lux. It was as though the past couple weeks had never existed at all.

She broke the kiss. "What about your sisters? Your father?" She asked with uncertainty.

Talon cocked his head to the side. "Apparently my sisters are both grownups and know how to deal with their lives. Besides, since they both have their own men now, they're no longer my responsibility. As for my father..." He glanced at the forgotten box lying on the desk. "I have a vague feeling that he wanted us to get back together."

Lux puffed her cheeks at that. "But what will they say if we show up together all of a sudden?"

He snorted darkly. "That we made up with each other. I'm pretty sure everyone in my family knows about us, pretty light."

Lux slightly blushed at his use of her old nickname, the one he had given her back when they had both been students at the Institute before they had even started to date.

 _Pretty light_ he had used to call her and although she had found it cheesy at first, she had grown on it, started associating the name with his presence. Seeing that he hadn't forgotten about it brought tears to her eyes.

"Hey, what is wrong?" Talon asked, suddenly worried and he cupped her cheeks with his palms.

Lux shook her head. "Nothing, I'm just happy." She followed the movements of his hands, looking up into his face with a bright smile and watery eyes.

For a moment they stared at each other.

Then Talon's stomach broke the silence with a loud grumble, Lux burst into laughter while Talon looked away, annoyed and embarrassed.

"How about breakfast? I know a good place," Lux chortled, tilting his head down to place a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"Fine by me," Talon agreed and helped her off his lap.

While she went to her hanger to put on her coat, he slid on his leather jacket and waited for her by the door. "What about the papers?" He asked, suddenly remembering the sole purpose of his visit here.

"Ah, that is just garbage, not even a real ancient language. But I suppose can make something work. You don't happen to be in a rush, do you?" Lux asked as they walked out of her office and headed towards the elevator.

Talon looked down at her with a knowing grin. "Not anymore, pretty." He leaned down to kiss her just as the elevator chimed and the doors opened.

* * *

 _It's where she likes to keep_

 _Haunting my wicked dreams_

* * *

Hello again, this is the third and final chapter of **Wicked** , and I hope you enjoyed it!

This chapter is a bit different because I had the honour of being helped out by **Silver Queen's Goldfinch** (who's an amazing person by the way), as she read the chapter and edited it for me. I can only say that I am forever grateful for the work and dedication you put into this and you have my endless gratitude! c:

An epilogue will be next, one shorter than the current chapter (I didn't mean for it to come out this long, but oh well), to wrap up some other things!

These being said, I really hope you enjoyed reading it so far!

See you next time~


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